Noke, Oxfordshire - Genealogy Notes

Location and general description

A small village situated to the east of the Thames, about 6Km NNW of Oxford and about 2Km SE of Islip.

Formerly also known as Nooke.

Buildings

The Manor, now Manor Farm (formerly Noke Place)

In 1539 one Henry BRADSHAW purchased the former Westminster Abbey lands from a certain Michael ASHEFIELD. [Lobel, 1959]

In 1544 a royal grant of the manor was made to Henry BRADSHAW, who successively held the posts of Solicitor-General (1540), Attorney General (1545), and chief baron of the Exchequer (1552). After his death the family property was eventually divided between his daughters sisters Christian and Bridget. His widow Joan held Noke manor until her death. [Lobel, 1959]

In 1576 the late Henry BRADSHAW's grandson, Thomas WINCHCOMBE, had agreed with Thomas FERMOR and his wife Briget, Henry's daughter, for the partition of her father's property. [Lobel, 1959]

On 1 Nov. 1598 one 'Jane Bradshaw of Nooke, Oxon.' [probably Joan BRADSHAW], released matters relating to the executorship of the Will of Thos. FARMER [i.e. FERMOR] to Geo. SHIRLEY of Staunton Harold ( Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Record Office, Records of the Shirley family, Earls Ferrers. of Stauton Harold, Leicestershire, 26D53/1955)

In 1599 Joan BRADSHAW died and the manor passed to her grandson Benedict, son of Christian and Thomas WINCHCOMBE. [Lobel, 1959]

In 1623 Benedict WINCHCOMBE died, having settled Noke upon the son of his sister Mary and her husband William HALL of High Meadow, Coleford, Glos. [Lobel, 1959]

That son, Benedict HALL, died childless and left the Manor of Noke on his nephew, Benedict HALL

On 19 Jul 1726, the Manor of Noke was mentioned as part of the settlement on the marriage of Lady Benedicta Maria Teresa Viscountess GAGE (only child of Benedict HALL, late of High Meadow, Gloucestershire, Esqr., deceased) and Thomas Viscount GAGE (Gloucestershire Archives Catalogue, D1677/GG/1138)

People

The BRADSHAW family

Henry BRADSHAW, possibly the eldest son of William BRADSHAW of Wendover (Bucks.) married Joan (-d.1599). [Lobel, 1959]

He had issue: [Lobel, 1959]

Benedict who died shortly after his father and whilst still a minor.
Christian, who married Thomas WINCHCOMBE of Chalgrove
Bridget who married first Henry WHITE and second Thomas FERMOR of Somerton (d. 1580), eldest of the FERMORs of Tusmore Park, Oxon.

Christian and Thomas WINCHCOMBE had issue: [Lobel, 1959]

Benedict (-d.1623)
Mary, who married William HALL of High Meadow, Coleford, Gloucs.

In 1584, a settlement dated 10 April 26 Elizabeth was made between Henry FERRERS and Joan BRADSHAUGH of Noke, Oxon. widow, Benett WINCHCOMBE of Chalgrove, Oxon. esq. and Randolph HATTON of Holton [Halton], co. Bucks. gent. This was previous to the marriage of Henry to Jane WHITE, daughter and co-heiress of Henry WHITE, son of Thomas WHITE, knight. The property was entailed to the engaged couple and their sons up to the fourth son in turn, and thereafter to Henry's male heirs. [Shakespear Centre Library and Archive, DR 3/394]

The HATTON family

The parish registers, summarised online at the St Giles Church homepage give the following Hatton details

Marriages

1587 Mr. BANKES=Susan HATTOR [sic]
1597 Thomas Heakes=Margery HATTON

Burials

1584 HATTUM Ms.

Baptisms

1611 Jul-30 Richard HATTUN
1618 Nov-30 Joan HATTON
1620 Dec-24 An HATTON

1625 Sep-08 Anne HATTON

The St Giles Church web site also list the following other records -

Wills

1611, Robert HATTON, Yeoman
1631, Thomas HATTON, Gent

In 1625 two women, a HATTON and a DAY, were fined for nonconformity [Lobel, 1959]. The connection between this village and the FERMOR family suggests that the HATTON family of Noke may have been related to the HATTON family of Fritwell, Oxfordshire, and Hardwick, Oxfordshire. This appears to be born out by references to HATTON family members in wills.

John C. Lowe [2011] notes that the will of Robt BANCKS (dated 6 Nov. 1605), the Mr. BANKES who married Susan HATTON at Noke on 24 Dec 1587, names Bennet HATTON of Fritwell as an overseer. Robert BANCKS also mentions his father in law HATTON, though Lowe has not been able to decipher the Christian name from the microfilm [Lowe, 2011]. Robert and Susan have a monument in Islip church. BANCKS daughter, Susan, also left a will, dated 1610, which mentions the surname HATTON [Lowe, 2011].

After the death of Robert BANCKS, his widow Susannah married Henry NORREYS. Between these two husbands she is said to have born 19 children. The details for the marriage are "Henry Norreys/Norris of Tidbury Gloucs. Married to Susan Banckes of Islip. August 3rd 1607 ~ All Saints Oxford" [Lesanne, 2010].

From a posting on RootsWeb by "Jill" of Bournmouth, UK [Jill, 2004], come the following additional references from wills:

The will of Joan BRADSHAW, dated 1596, mentions:

Benedict HATTON as a beneficiary;
Ralph HATTON, as "my chandler" and also as a witness;
Robert HATTON, as a witness;
Thomas HATTON as a witness;

The will of Benedict WINCHCOMBE, dated 1623, mentions:

Joan HATTON, kinswoman and wife of his servant;

Thomas HATTON, servant and witness.

On 10 Feb 1615/16, one Benedict HATTON of Frittwell, Oxon, gent was involved with Richard FARMER of Somerton [one of the FERMORs of Tusmore Park] in a bond concerning the Manor or Farm of Walcott in Charlbury, Oxon [East Sussex Records Office, SAS/PN/1373] On 3 May 1621 one Sir Robert JENKINSON was described as of Walcott, Oxon, knt. [East Sussex Records Office, SAS/PN/866]. A later Sir Robert JENKINSON of Walcott, born c1621 and who became Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, married Mary, dau of Sir John BANKES of Corfe Castle and Kingston Lacy, co. Dorset.

On 28 September 1582, Joan BRADSHAUGHE, the widow of Henry BRADSHAUGHE Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, entered into a settlement with Henry FERRERS of Baddesley Clinton esq., previous to FERRER’s marriage to Jane WHITE. Jane being Joan’s grandchild (A2A, DR 3/328).

The Ralph HATTON mentioned in the 1596 will of Joan BRADSHAW may be the same as the Randolph HATTON of Halton, co. Bucks. gent., who entered into a transaction with her in 1584. One Raphe HATTON, gentleman of Halton, Bucks, left a will dated 6 Nov 1606 [PROB 11/108]. There is some suggestion of a Ralph HATTON birth in 1529 in Noke, though no source is given [Lesanne, 2010]. However, in this Will he mentions being baptised in Grapenhall, presumably the one near Warrington in Cheshire.

The HALL family

The HALL family of High Meadow, Coleford, Gloucestershire, occupied the Manor of Noke for a period.

The 1665 Hearth Tax (St Giles Church Web site)

Beneddict HALL Esq, 24 hearths
Francis HALL, 5 hearths

Bibliography

DR3 (Ferrers family of Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire). Catalogue of Shakespeare Centre Library and Archive. A2A (Access to Archives). Online: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a. Accessed: 1 Dec 2011.
COLLIER, J, Jack of Newbury (c. 1465-1519/20), URL:http://www.geocities.com/domett2/
Jill. 2004. "RE: Hatton." Posted 17 Feb 2004. URL:http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/OXFORDSHIRE/2004-02/1077021177. Accessed 1 Aug 2011.
Lesanne [User Id]. 2010. "Lesanne's Scavenger Hunt...Everyone Welcome To Join In." URL:http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,470777.0.html. Accessed 1 Aug 2011.
LOBEL, Mary D. (editor), 'Parishes: Noke', A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 6 (1959), pp. 268-276. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63746. Date accessed: 27 August 2008.
LOWE, John Christopher. 2011. Personal e-mail correspondence dated 31/07/2011.
The Parish Church of St Giles, Noke, Oxfordshire, Jan 2008, URL: http://home.btconnect.com/stgiles_noke/, accessed 16 Oct 2008
Gloucestershire Archives Catalogue, Access to Archives, URL: http://www.a2a.org.uk